The project provides services at no cost to districts and families. To receive DeafBlind technical assistance, please complete the referral form. Any child or youth with a current Individual Family Services Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Education Program (IEP) served under the special education category of DeafBlindness is eligible for technical assistance via the ORBP. Per the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), “Deaf-blindness means concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.” 34 CFR 300.8 (c) (2). Once we have received the referral and documentation showing a current eligibility via DeafBlindness, we will reach out to whoever submitted the referral to discuss needs and next steps.

Technical assistance provides more than a set of skills. It provides a framework upon which educational professionals, families, and the Project can analyze their needs, assess their strengths and weaknesses, plan, grow and help their teams to prosper. Technical assistance and support to IEP teams serving students who are DeafBlind enables the teams to implement the highly specialized services needed in the provision of a free, appropriate, public education for learners who are DeafBlind, residing in Oregon.

A person with vision loss who also has hearing differences may have limited access to information from the environment, which makes learning difficult. When this occurs, the child may be considered DeafBlind. Specialized accommodations and supports in school enable children who are DeafBlind to learn, communicate, and interact with the world.  

Required Assessments to Determine DeafBlind Eligibility

According to Oregon Administrative Rule 581-015-2140, to determine eligibility for DeafBlindness, an early childhood program or school district evaluation team must complete both a hearing evaluation (per the DHH rule) and a vision evaluation (per the Vision Impairment rule). If either area shows inconsistent or inconclusive results, a functional hearing or vision assessment must be done by a licensed teacher of the visually impaired, teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing, or an audiologist. Additional evaluations may be included if needed to understand how the combined sensory differences affect communication and learning.

DeafBlind Eligibility Criteria

A child qualifies as Deafblind if the team finds that the child:

1. Has both a documented hearing impairment and a documented vision impairment OR
2. Has one documented impairment and the other sensory area shows inconclusive responses validated through functional assessment OR
3. Has one documented impairment and a degenerative condition that will affect the other sense;

In addition, the team must determine that the combined sensory impact creates unique communication and educational needs that require special education services.